Many people want tattoo's removed for many different reasons. Some people have tattoo's of that they regret getting, look horrible, or are associated with something they are no longer attached to such as gangs, ex's names, or a sign that means something.
There are many different ways for tattoo removal and I'm sure more are in the process of being created. First would be laser removal. Laser removal is highly concentrated light that will break the ink into tiny pieces, which clear away by your own immune system. The laser isn't a one time treatment. The more treatment's you have, the more the tattoo will go away. By doing so many treatments it's very bad for your skin. It will cause burning, scabbing, and scaring. They say the scaring is minimal but it's a very painful treatment to go through. There is no guarantee that the tattoo will ever fully be removed. It could take 1 to 10 sessions to remove a tattoo and still after that it may not be fully gone. 1 session could cost anywhere from $250 dollars to $850 dollars a session. If you have a big bright colorful tattoo, it may take 10 sessions where as a little dull colored or black tattoo could take 2 or 3 sessions. The price also goes by how big and how colorful the tattoo is.
Another option is Intense Pulsed Light Therapy. A gel is applied to the skin and then a wand emits pulses of light to the skin. This is known to be a less painful treatment. The price of this treatment goes by how many pulses of light is used. The starting price is $ 10 dollars per pulse. So this procedure could be pretty expensive as well.
There is also do it yourself cream removal. This is obviously the most less painful option. There are many different creams that you have to keep rubbing on the tattoo. The creams are suppose to make the tattoo fade away without hurting your skin and without going through any pain. There are no proven facts that say any of the creams work yet but some say that the tattoo's have faded. The creams are much cheaper then the other options but still aren't cheap. For one bottle could cost $125 dollars but one bottle will never be enough. Some creams you will have to use for months to see a difference.
Personally, I do not think the creams will do much. It may fade your tattoo but tattoos fade in a matter of years anyways. If I had to get one removed, I would try one of the first two options. The laser would probably get the job done but then your risking scaring, hurting your skin, scabbing, and that area will probably never look normal again. The pulse therapy doesn't seem to bad but then again you have the side effects of the removal such as scaring and damaging your skin. I would just say if you think you might possibly regret a tattoo then don't get it. That's why I say you should think long and hard before getting one. Also, make sure you know your tattoo artist and have saw work done by him/her. If you get a tattoo from someone you don't know and have never saw their work, you are probably going to end up unhappy about the work they have done and either a different tattoo artist is going to have to try and fix it (which some are not able to be fixed) or your going to have to pay to try to get it removed. It's better to be safe then sorry.
http://tattoo.about.com/od/tatremoval/a/tatremoval.htm
My mom is going through the tattoo removal right now. She is using a product called Wrecking Balm which uses a gel and then a wand that vibrates. The head on the wand has some sort of sand paper on it and you have to put the gel on your skin then use the wand in small circles for no longer than a minute. She has been using it for a couple weeks now and we still do not see any change. Wrecking Balm can be bought in stores everywhere but seems to me as if it does not work. I would suggest laser removal if you have to money to do so.
ReplyDeleteThis is good information to know! I don't have any tats, but I do know of a few people who have regrets about tatoos. I always think of Angelina Jolie and the tatoo of Billy Bob Thorton--I think she had it removed?
ReplyDeleteI wonder why, instead of a permanent tatoo, why can't someone develop a non-permanent type of tatoo (or have they already?) that would last 6 months or so?